About Plainthers
Basic Info LATIN NAME: Metailurus parvulus animus COMMON NAME: Plainthers DESCRIPTION: A large, cheetah/puma-like felid with an unusually large head, long foretoes and long tails. LENGTH: 6.5 - 7 ft (nose to tail-base) / 2 - 3 ft (tail) WEIGHT: 110 - 115 lbs (large adult female) HEIGHT: 2 - 3 ft (withers) (large adult female) LIFESPAN: 50 - 60 years LIFE EXPECTANCY: 30 - 40 DID YOU KNOW: Plainthers have a social structure very similar to a hyena clan. Habitat Plainthers inhabit the middle and northern part of what we know as the US, as well as parts of southern Canada. Their range stretches from California to the Great Lakes and a little past that. Their place of origin is Wyoming, and they spread forth from there. Diet Plainthers are omnivores, able to eat most anything that comes their way if they must. However, they do prefer to eat animal protien, as it is easier to digest. They generally prefer to eat larger animals, with their favored prey being Pronghorn antelope. They will also feed on moose, caribou, deer, mountain goats and wild sheep. Smaller prey includes the young of the above animals, rabbits/hares, raccoons, coyotes and small rodents such as mice and prairie dogs. They are inherently chase predators. They quickly gain speed over short periods, but tire out relatively easily. However, they are very adaptable, and can learn to stalk and ambush prey if they are able to. They use their extended dewclaw to hook onto prey's leg and trip it, as well as to manipulate their surroundings. Social Structure Every plainther group is widely different, adapting to the world around them, their struggles and the wants of the individuals within. However, plainthers do have one thing in common, which is that they are a strictly matriarchal creature. Male leaders are a rarity in plainther clans, due to the fact that family is 90% of social strength. The amount of respect and esteem a plainther gains is up to their accomplishments, and their support - rather, those who are willing to defend them from snarky remarks from others, and even from physical assaults. The more support one has, the less likely they are to be boxed out of their rank - and females excel in the art of keeping their kids on their side. Mothers who are abusive or neglectful to their young often drop to the bottom of the tower, as she has noone behind her when things go awry. The leaders of plainther groups are generally known as matriarchs, unless they themselves choose to call themselves something else. All females outrank all males, even if the particular male is very well-recieved. Males are not mistreated, however. As a common rule, males are not permitted around the whelping den of any female, or else he is forcibly chased off. If he pursues the issue he may get a maiming in return. Reproduction And Aging Female plainthers go into estrus once, between February and March. The window of conception lasts anywhere from 3 to 8 days, dependent almost fully on the female's health. Courtship is often initiated with small gifts of food or bouts of play-wrestling and long walks with only each others' company. If the courtship is a success, the two will mate and remain together in almost perfect isolation until her season comes to a close. Females will carry her cubs for between 109 and 115 days, during which she will stake out a private den to whelp in, typically sharing it with one or two females (usually relatives). Young females are most at risk when they give birth, especially for the first time. Solo first-time litters rarely reach 3 months of age due to the mother's lack of experience and assistance. Males do not have a hand in raising their offspring until they reach six months. NEWBORN (0 MONTHS): Born in a litter of 1-3, cubs are born in May or June. They are completely helpless; blind, deaf and immobile. Their coat is mottled with thick black splotches and their legs are totally black, disguising their future coat colors. Their instinct at this age is to pile up when they are alone, to maintain body heat. At 2 weeks of age, the cubs' eyes and ears begin to open up. All noise and light is overwhelming to a cub, however, so typically they will try to bury themselves under bellies and legs. TODDLER (3 MONTHS): At 3 months of age, cubs are waddling around. Eyes and ears are more accustomed to the stimuli of life, and they will grow curious with new scents and things dragged into the den. At this age, the females all convene into a single covert known as the Communal Nursery. This is where the cubs learn their first social skills, and where they meet their peers born in the same year as them. At this age, mothers will take shifts caring for all the cubs in one big litter. There is no discrimination between who suckles, though some mothers will show a preference for their own cubs at their bellies than others. This is when cubs begin learning to speak. CHILD (6 MONTHS): At 6 months of age, cubs are playful, bouncy, and curious. They are happy to chase, bite, pounce at and stalk anything that moves, including denmates. This is when they are introduced to the clan at large and the Clan's community shelter. Weaning begins here and usually ends at around 7 months. Once cubs are settled into the Clan, they are brought along on hunting trips and begin learning the ways of a true hunter. PRETEEN (1 YEAR): At 1 year of age, the cubs are growing closer to the age of maturity, but have not yet reached it. At this age they are learning their place among their peers and the Clan, and may experience scattered mood swings that end in small spats with others their age. This is when their cub-spots begin to fade and their adult colors come through. TEENAGER (1.5 YEARS): At one and a half years, cubs hit puberty like a brick to the head. At rapid pace over the next six months the cubs will grow lanky and nearly reach their adult height. They will achieve a small ruffle on the back of their necks, and they will reach their permanent adult height, but not their adult weight - meaning they will often look quite gangly and "incorrect." Their fur is patchy due to their cub fur rapidly shedding and their spots disappear. Females will notice a "pudge pouch" starting from the end of their ribs back between their hind legs. YOUNG ADULT (2 YEARS): At this age, plainthers are not yet mentally ready, but are sexually mature, though they are not very fertile at all. Males will grow their little manes at this age, and cub spots will have completely faded at this point. They begin hunting on their own at this age, though they might still have supervision from an older Clan member. ADULT (3 YEARS): At 3 years of age, plainthers are full grown adults. They still are not very fertile, however they are moreso than before. Whatever social rank a plainther has at this point they are likely to keep, or at the very least they won't move very much. BREEDING ADULT (6 YEARS): Typically, females have their first litter around 6 years of age. SENIORITY (45 YEARS): While male plainthers remain somewhat fertile for life, females go through menopause at 45 years. Their estrus cycle comes to a total halt and their desire for a mate and cubs goes down significantly. However, they still are known to help their younger relations such as daughters and granddaughters, and are often the ones chosen to bring food to the dens of new mothers so they don't get attacked. Color Genetics PLACEHOLDER This is where you get to go ham with the colors. Remember, they got their colorations from humans! The only exception is BLUE and WHITE, which they got solely from their feline ancestor. They also come in Brown, Red, Cream, and Black. They work almost the same as feline colorations. Blue is a dilution of Black, Cream is a dilution of Red. Brown is a mutated black and white can come in two kinds: epistatic and spotted. Maybe include a nice chart with each color displayed, including the torties! This totals: 5 Selfs, 3 Dilutes, 2 Torties. Selfs go across the top, Dilutes go down. Like this: History 2.6 million years ago, the Ice Age ended. The sudden heat, grass and trees left the world in an awkward shambles as animals struggled to adapt. Mankind was among these creatures fighting to understand their role in the world. In our universe, humans found their stride. They went on to create big beautiful wonders and manufacture heart-shattering disasters. But in this universe, the humans never found it. They crumbled and fell into just a few lasting individuals, trembling in caves waiting to be taken away. And They made a decision. They were and are a troop of strange, extraterrestrial beings which watched from on high. They were fascinated by our peoples' plight, and when the human race began to fall apart They desired a continuation of this story. They chose a clever creature; one who was strong, but not so strong as to outweigh any challenge; not so weak that it fell to its knees like humans did. They chose a large cat, not unlike a cheetah, and put the two together. Out came the plainthers. Creatures of curiosity, aggression, and - most importantly - intelligence. They inherited the most desirable of man's traits while discarding what made them weak. If Man had been the queen of this world, plainthers were sure to be the princesses. And so they grew, they changed, they settled into their new world. They have spread to nearly eat what we know as the USA, and part of Canada as well. They are destined to grow, destined to change and do what man could not. Live. Trivia * Like pumas, plainthers have many different names, including the Plains-Cordilla Cougar, False Puma, and Plainther Cat. These are all from former drafts of the creature which occured in the modern day. * Plainthers gained many small, yet important traits from their human ancestry. This includes: ** Some of their eye colors (blue, green, brown, amber) ** Elongated dewclaw and foretoes (thumb and fingers) ** Omnivorous diet + flat molars (rather than carnassials) ** Some of their fur colors (brown, black, red) ** Their long lifespans ** A new hip structure, which allows them to sit up on their hind feet for short periods. ** Throat structure; they are able to make almost all the same sounds as humans, save for growling their Gs and purring their Rs * Plainthers are part of a family colloquially known as "False Saberteeth," which is a name shared by Nimravids. * Their ancestor, Metailurus parvulus, is actually no longer called that. Rather, it's called Yoshi minor. The original name was kept for this species because it sounded nicer, and would lead to a little less confusion. * The appearance of plainthers is greatly inspired by the Saga Of The Named by Clare Bell, and their history is inspired by two webcomics, Asmundr and Home.